When In Berk
by No Guns Only Roses
Summary: Alba is the rich daughter of a Roman politician who is suddenly kidnapped by Vikings. She manages to escape and finds herself on Berk, where everyone rides dragons instead of horses. During her stay on the island, she finds a lifelong friend in a Timberjack, becomes a dragon rider, herself, and even falls in love with a certain stubborn yet good-hearted Viking.
1. Chapter 1

**I know that Rome collasped several hundred years before the Viking era, but in the original httyd books, the Romans were still around. Like the author said, it's "fiction pretending to be history".**

 **This story takes place after the second movie.**

 **WARNING: Torture in this chapter**

 **NOTE: There will probably be grammar mistakes which I will fix later.**

 _When in Rome, do as the Romans do, or else you're a savage. If you're not a Roman, then you're a lesser person. Or so I've been told my entire life._

 _My name is Alba. My father, Avitus, is a well-known and respected politician, which pretty much implies that my entire family is well-off and more privileged than most citizens. My relation to him is what everyone knows me for, and...well, that's about it. There's nothing special about me. Sounds like I have low self-esteem but it's true. The only thing I'm good at it is being pretty, but that's all a man really wants from a woman, right? A pretty face and healthy body for bearing sons. Oh, and a lot of money is the cherry on top._

 _But soon I won't be a young bachelorette anymore. My dad has arranged a marriage between me and this centurion who's a couple of years older than me. Well, ten years older than me. His dad and my dad know each other well, and who better suited to marry his handsome, strapping son than his best friend's younger beautiful daughter? And the best part? I will have to move all the way to Britannia to be with my husband._

 _Yep. That's my life. Sounds perfect, don't it?_

 _I envy the lesser people._

* * *

Somewhere a rooster crowed as the sun rose over the magnificent city of Rome. The morning light shined through the window of a young woman's room and on her face. The nineteen-year-old girl with long, wavy strawberry blonde hair fluttered her hazel eyes open and slowly rose from her bed with a stretch and a yawn.

She stood up and looked out her window with a sad heart. It was very beautiful day in Rome. The rich blue skies had not a single cloud and the sea was glittering under the sun. But it was also her very last day in Rome and all of Italy.

As usual, the house servants were there to get her ready for the day. They brushed her hair and fixed it into the usual braided short ponytail style, as well as helped her put on her jewelry, pink tunic and blue palla with golden embroidery. Once they were done, headed to the dining hall where her parents waited for her. They were at the table being served their usual breakfast: eggs, grapes, and bread that had been dipped in honey.

Her mother, Livia, who also had long strawberry blonde hair, greeted her with a pearly white as she walked in. "Good morning, darling. Did you sleep well?"

"Like a baby," Alba mumbled as she approached the table. A servant pulled a chair out for her while another poured some milk into her cup.

"Well, I hope that you did," Avitus said, "because you'll need it for the long trip."

"Right," Alba sighed heavily as she picked up a grape, fiddling with it in between her thumb and index finger.

Livia looked at her sympathetically as she reached over to touch her hand. "I know this is hard for you, my dear. When I left my family back in Sicily, I became extremely homesick for a while. But I slowly adapted to my new life here in Rome and started a new family with your father, and I could truthfully say that I couldn't be happier."

"And I guarantee that you'll be happy with Cassius," Avitus chimed in. "He is a good and honorable man. After a few years, you won't even think of going back to Rome."

Alba knew better than to argue with her father and mother. They were totally convinced that this marriage was the best thing for her, and nothing could convince them otherwise. And the truth was Cassius wasn't the perfect guy they perceived him to be. She had met him only twice in the last few months, but she immediately knew from the moment they met that she would be absolutely miserable with him.

But she only smiled and nodded, because that was all she could do.

After she finished breakfast and excused herself from the table, she walked down the hall leading to her room when she accidentally knocked a vase off its stand. At the sound of it breaking on the floor, a servant dashed out of a room with a broom in her hands.

"Please stand back, Miss," she wasted no time in sweeping the broken porcelain pieces away from Alba's feet. "We wouldn't want you to cut yourself."

Alba didn't thank her (why should she thank a slave for doing her job?) and simply continued on her way.

...

"At least I'll still have you, Brutus," Alba smiled down warmly at their family dog, a large Neapolitan Mastiff, who gave her leg a big, sloppy kiss. "You're the only one who really gets me. And I'll need you to protect me in case Cassius dares to raise a hand against me, which I'm sure he will."

Brutus barked and growled in response. Such a smart dog.

She smiled and looked back to the view of the sea from her window, watching the birds fly out of the trees and toward the horizon. She sometimes wished that she could sprout wings and follow them to freedom, but if the story of Icarus taught her anything, it was that men weren't meant to fly.

The door creaked open and she turned to see her mother walking in. Livia gave her a sad smile and folded her hands in front of her. "They've finished loading the carriage," she said softly. "We mustn't keep them waiting."

Alba nodded somberly, but she wouldn't move from her spot. "Mom, do I really have to go through with this? I mean, I know that he's a famous centurion and all, but I don't even like the guy. We don't have anything in common, except that our dads are best friends."

Livia sighed softly as she walked over to her. "I know. But the truth is, dear, there's no one I trust more with your well-being than Cassius. He's a soldier, for one, and his family has connections to ours. If you'd just give him a chance, I'm sure you'll grow to like him, maybe even love him." She placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "Please at least _try_ to be happy? I want you to be well-off, but I don't want you to be miserable."

Alba looked at her mother, then nodded slowly. "Okay, Mom. I promise I'll try." She headed for the door but Livia stopped her.

"Wait. There's something I need to give you." Livia removed her necklace and placed it on Alba. Hanging down from its chain was a silver pendant which had the image of the Trinarcia engraved on it. "My grandmother passed it on to my mother, and she passed it on to me. And now it's yours to give to your children. I may be a Roman citizen now, but I keep it as a reminder of where I come from. Where _we_ come from."

Alba smiled sadly as she clutched the pendant. "Thanks, Mom. I'll cherish it always."

Livia reached to gently touch Alba's cheek, her hazel eyes glistening with unshed tears. "My sweet Alby...I blinked and you grew up. I will miss you terribly."

Alba wrapped her arms around her in a hug. "I'll miss you, too." Then she felt her mother jump all of a sudden, and they both looked down to see Brutus licking Livia's ankles.

The older woman chuckled and scratched the dog on his head. "I'll miss you as well, Brutus. Watch after Alba, will you?"

The dog wagged his tail and kissed her on the foot, learning a laugh from both women.

...

Outside their house, Alba hugged her parents goodbye one last time before stepping into the carriage with Brutus jumping in after her. As the horses pulled the vehicle away, she waved at them and nearly broke down when she saw Livia cover her face and lean against Avitus, her shoulders moving up and down. The very last image that she would have of her mother was her crying, and she had to live with that for the rest of her life.

* * *

By land and sea, it had taken over a month to get from Italy all the to the Britains, which was the longest trip she ever had to take, and once she finally arrived at the town of Moridunum, she swore that she could kiss the ground. She was so sick of carriages and boats. Brutus, on the other, absolutely loved going at sea, and Alba practically had to drag him off the ship when they reached the shore.

The first person to greet her at her new timber house was Magnus Cassius, who, of course, was still wearing his armor and accompanied by a few of his men. He helped her off the wagon and clasped his hands around hers in a romantic gesture. "My dear Alba," he smiled at her, "I'm so happy to have you here with me at last. You're as beautiful as I last saw you."

 _Oh, please,_ she rolled her eyes then said out loud, "We saw each other last month, Cassius."

Cassius chuckled. "Well, it felt like an eternity to me." His smile dropped when he spotted Brutus in the wagon. "Oh, I see you brought _him_ with you."

"Well, of course, I did," Alba smirked smugly at him. "Every family needs at least one pet, right?"

"Right," he said through gritted teeth, glaring at the dog, who snarled and growled at him. He cleared his throat and put his smile back on for her. "Anyway, there will be a feast tonight to celebrate your arrival."

"I can barely contain my joy," Alba mumbled sarcastically as she walked past him and headed straight for the front door of their house. That was another thing she was sick of: parties.

Back in Rome, her father, being the important political figure that he was, held a party at their house at least once every week. Sometimes the guests would drink too much wine and throw up all over their floor. One unpleasant memory included a merchant's wife who got so drunk that she passed out and fell face-first into her own vomit. And the conversations they'd have with each other...oh, gods, they were so boring.

It was going to be a long night.

"Alba, wait," Cassius called after her.

She stopped at the door and turned to face him.

"Don't I get a kiss at least?" He grinned as he tapped his cheek.

She gave him a bored look. "Save it for the honeymoon," she snarked as she opened the door and stepped inside with Brutus scurrying after her.

...

Their first lunch together in their new house was...awkward. They sat directly across from each other at their table, eating in silence and glancing up at each other every now and then. Brutus lay at Alba's feet, patiently waiting for his share of leftovers or falling crumbs.

Cassius finally broke the silence by clearing his throat. "So...do you like it here so far?"

Alba shrugged. "I just got here," she said quietly before taking a bite out of her bread.

He tightened his lips and nodded. "I look forward to our wedding day. You will be the most beautiful bride in all of Brittania."

"Yeah, and the most miserable," she muttered under her breath.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, 'Yeah I agree,'" she said louder with a forced smile. She tore off a piece of the cooked pheasant and handed it to Brutus, who eagerly gobbled it down.

Cassius watched her feed the dog in disgust. "You're not bringing him to the banquet tonight."

Alba looked at him offended. "Why not? He's a part of the family, too."

"He is a _pet_. He shouldn't even be at the table."

She scoffed and simply handed Brutus another piece of meat. "Whatever. He doesn't like parties, anyway."

 _And he's not the only one, but at least_ he _doesn't have to attend_ this _party tonight. Lucky dog._

...

Cassius kept to his word and later that night a banquet was held in their own backyard. Most of the invited guests were politicians, patricians, and merchants, who would, as usual, drink excessive amounts of wine and ramble drunkenly about politics and Roman conquest. Alba was the only sober, unhappy person at the party, staring blankly at the sea while everyone else around was having the time of their lives, oblivious to her misery.

A politician's wife who was about Alba's age stumbled over to her table, nearly spilling her drink and giggling madly. "Well, hello, Alba!" she slurred, almost dropping to the floor. "Are you excited?"

Alba glanced at her briefly before looking back at the horizon. "About what?" she mumbled depressingly.

"The wedding, silly! I'm sooooo jealous! See, I'm stuck with that hairy old pig over there, while you get to marry a total hunk!" She pointed to her husband who sat at the table across from Alba's. He looked to be over fifty and was bald but had so much hair on his arms that it was sickening. He was very unattractive, as well, with a big red nose, bags under his eyes, and a pair of fish lips.

Alba almost lost her lunch at the sight of him. Suddenly her marriage to Cassius didn't seem that bad.

Speaking of, the centurion was too busy chatting with some of the younger and rich bachelors to sit at the table with his wife-to-be. He was retelling his most recent raids on other smaller countries without sparing them even the goriest of details. "And after I ripped it right out of his chest, I said, 'Well, I guess you _do_ have a heart after all!'" They all laughed at his cruel joke and guzzled down more wine.

"You know, I've been meaning to ask you, Cassius," a young man with curly blonde hair wiped his wet chin with a napkin, "What are you going to do about those Vikings up North?"

"Vikings?" Cassius threw his head back and laughed heartily. "Those horned, hairy heathens? They pose no threat to me. They'd rather drink and breed than to start a war."

"Well, there's a rumor going around that some clans are riding dragons like horses," a short fat man said nervously.

Cassius raised an eyebrow and snorted. "Dragons? Right, and I'm turning my enemies into stone with the head of Medusa."

The others chuckled at his joke, except for the fat man. "I'm not joking, fellas. You ever heard of a man named Drago Bludvist? They say he burned down villages and took out fleets with an army of dragons."

"Even if dragons _did_ exist," Cassius became more stern, "they can be killed like any other beast. Nothing can overpower an entire Roman legion, especially one that's under _my_ leadership. I don't fear this Drago or his so-called dragons, so let him challenge me if he dares. Or if he even exists."

"Ha!" The blonde man playfully slapped him on his back. "Brave and bold as always! Alba sure is lucky to have a husband like you! Hey...where _is_ Alba?"

Alarmed, Cassius whipped his head in the direction of Alba's table and was shocked to see her seat empty. Shocked and infuriated.

...

"Gods, I hate parties," Alba sighed as she plopped down on her bed. Brutus heard her enter the house and ran into her bedroom, ecstatic to see his owner and friend. He jumped onto the bed and proceeded to lick her face, earning a groan of disgust from her. "Ew! Brutus, okay!" She tried to push her huge dog off, but he was just too heavy. "Get off!"

She felt her mother's necklace being pulled and looked down to see Brutus gnawing at the pendant. "Brutus, NO! Bad dog!" She quickly snatched it out of his jaws and wiped all the slobber off. As her thumb brushed over the engravings, she thought of her mother back in Rome and wondered how she and Avitus were doing back in Rome.

The sound of the front door being slammed open made her jump. "Alba?" Cassius called out to her. She could hear the anger in his voice and prepared herself for a confrontation.

He stomped into the room, his face red with anger. "We need to talk," he growled. "Now."

Brutus stood in front of Alba protectively and growled at him, but the centurion painfully grabbed him by the neck and pulled him off the bed.

"W-What are you doing?! Stop! You're hurting him!" Alba protested as he dragged the whimpering dog toward the door.

As soon as he threw Brutus out of the room and shut the door behind him, he turned his attention back to Alba and stood at the foot of the bed, glaring at her. Alba became fearful of him and scooted away until her back hit the wall.

"You embarassed me tonight," he hissed as he crossed his arms. "In front of the most important people in this town. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Alba took in a deep breath and tried to act brave. "Look, if we're going to make this marriage work, you need to understand that I hate going to parties. They make me, you know, uncomfortable."

"Oh, they make you uncomfortable?" Cassius sneered at her. "Well, you know what makes me uncomfortable? Everyone staring at me after my woman acts so shamefully." He crawled toward her on the bed and grabbed her wrists, pinning her to the wall. Alba wrinkled her nose at the strong smell of wine in his breath. "I have enough on my plate right now, and as my wife, you are obliged to support me no matter what. My reputation is more important than your feelings." He leaned in closer until their noses touched. "Understand?"

Alba trembled in his grasp and gulped. "Y-Yeah," she said barely below a whisper.

"Good." He pulled away and let go of her, and as soon as he opened the door, Brutus sprinted past him and jumped onto the bed to check on Alba, who was still shaking. Once he was out of sight, she hugged Brutus close to her, sobbing quietly into his wrinkled fur.

She promised her mother that she would try to be happy, but now it was a certainty that she could never be happy with Cassius.

"Oh, Brutus, what am I gonna do?"

She looked at her wrists, which now had bruises from Cassius's strong grip. They almost looked like manacles, which was fitting as to how trapped she felt in this marriage. She then slowly turned her head to the view of the sea through her window, longing for freedom.

She couldn't stay.

* * *

She knocked on the door to his office, hoping that he wasn't too busy or too mad from last night. "Come in," she heard him say. She creaked the door open and poked her head in. "Cassius?" she said softly. "We need to talk."

The centurion was studying a map at his desk and didn't look up at her, but motioned for her to come with a wave of his hand. "Make it quick," he gruffed. "I have much to do today."

"I..." Alba bit her lower lip and wringed her hands before continuing. "I need a boat."

"A boat?" Cassius finally lifted his eyes from the map and at his fiancé, who nodded. "What for? I thought you were tied of the sea?"

"I need some alone time," she said quietly, casting her eyes downward. "I have a lot on my mind right now and...and well, I..."

He looked at her confused, then his face softened with understanding. "Alba, does this have anything to do with what happened last night?"

She didn't answer and continued to look down.

Cassius sighed softly as he stood up from his desk and walked to her. "I understand," he lifted her chin and cupped her cheek. "You are young and not ready for the humbled life of a married woman. It's okay to be scared and confused, and I'll try my best to be more patient with you. I'll allow this little boat trip, but don't go too far."

She smiled a little and nodded, pulling away from his touch. "Thank you." She turned to the door and reached for the knob.

"Oh, and I'll send two of my men to accompany you," he added as he sat back down at his desk.

She froze and closed her eyes as she sighed exasperatedly. So much for "alone time".

...

Alba sulked and rested her chin in her hands as the boat gently bobbed up and down. Two legionaries who were appointed by Cassius kept watch, tasked with the protection of his future bride. Brutus peered into the water and watched the fish swim by, his long tail wagging.

The plan was for her to get into a boat (with Brutus aboard, of course) and sneak away to Hibernia. It would be a suicidal and desperate attempt to get away from the life her parents forced her into, but she had to be free, even if it killed her.

She dozed off a few times throughout the whole trip, listening to the relaxing sounds of the sea. But at one point during the late afternoon, she thought she felt something hit the bottom of the boat. At first she brushed it off, but then Brutus began to growl deep in his throat. Something was definitely wrong.

But the soldiers who were guarding her didn't seem to notice as they continued to casually chat with each other. "Um, excuse me?" Alba said, catching their attention. "I wish to go home now."

"Very well, miss." They picked up their oars and started to turn the boat around...

...when their boat was sudden spit in half by a huge scaly tail that came from out of the water. Alba gasped as her end of the boat began to sink, clutching Brutus close to her.

"What just happened?!" one of the soldiers yelled. "Are we-?!" He was cut off as he was pulled under by an unseen force. Alba screamed in horror while the other soldier instinctively unsheathed his sword, preparing to fight off whatever was hunting them in the waters.

Suddenly they heard a distant yet terrifying roar. It couldn't have belonged to a lion or a bear. Brutus lifted his head to the skies and began to bark at something. Alba followed his gaze and her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when she saw what appeared to be a flock of dragons circling above their heads like vultures.

A man's gruff voice could be heard giving a command, and immediately all of the dragons dived in after the two. Alba screamed as she tried to swim away with Brutus under her arm, but large crawled feet grabbed by the shoulders and pulled her out of the water, while another dragon grabbed the legionary.

Down below, Brutus barked and paddled after them. Alba began to sob and reached out to her beloved dog as he got tinier and tinier until he finally disappeared under the clouds.

She got a good look at the dragons as they flew past the one that had a hold on her. They had long, serpentine bodies, three sets of horns on their heads, and iridescent purple scales. And what's more they had...

...Vikings riding on their backs?

So the rumors were true: Vikings really were riding dragons and using them to raid and burn other villages. These riders were heavily tattooed, wore traditional Viking helmets, and had long braided hair, longer than hers. One of them turned his head and looked directly at her, giving her a sadistic smile.

Her heart immediately dropped to her stomach. This was really it. She was never going to see Brutus or her parents ever again. She only hoped that they would grant her a quick and painless death.

They flew a great distance and the evening soon became dark. After what felt like for hours, the dragons took another dive through the clouds. Below them was a fleet of Viking ships that were adorned with burning torches along the sides. An iron dragon's head protruded from the stern, the inside of its mouth lit with another torch to give it a firebreathing effect.

The dragon that carried Alba lowered itself to the deck of the leading ship and dropped her, while the other dragon that had the Roman soldier dropped him next to her. The Vikings that were onboard slowly gathered around the two, trapping them in a circle with their swords drawn out. But they parted as their leader stepped forward.

He was a large, burly man, but unlike the other Vikings, he had no beard nor wore a horned helmet. Instead, a tattoo of fangs ran down from his lower lip to the bottom of his chin. The areas around his eyes were painted with black and the bridge of nose was painted with red. Long, white spikes protruded from his shoulder armor, he wore jewelry made of bones and sharp, pointy teeth, and a grey wolfhide cape hung down his shoulders.

He stomped over to where Alba knelt and painfully grabbed her chin. The Roman guard stood up to rush to her defense, but two Vikings quickly grabbed him. Alba trembled as his icy blue eyes looked straight into hers. The corners of his mouth slowly lifted into a sinister.

"Welcome to my ship, wife of Magnus Cassius," he said in a calm yet eerie voice that made Alba's blood chill. "I am Olin, chief of the Greyfur Tribe."

Oh, great. If someone like him knew her fiancé, it couldn't have been because they were friends. "Y...You know Cassius?" she whimpered.

He nodded slowly. "Of course. We meet five years ago...as he and his army burned down my village and slaughtered my family right in front of me."

 _Of course._

"My wife and sons are dead because of him," Olin continued, his eyes blazing with rage. "In fact, we _all_ have our own reasons to hold a grudge against him. And nothing would satisfy us more than to make him suffer by destroying everything and everyone he holds dear." He leaned in closer to her face. "And that includes you, girl."

Alba chuckled nervously. "Yeah, well, if it makes any difference, I'm not his wife _yet_."

Olin paused before he nodded. "Perhaps not. But you're obviously precious to him, and why does _he_ get to be happy while _I_ have to lose everything?"

"Think before you act, Viking!" the captured legionary yelled boldly. "An enemy of Magnus Cassius is an enemy of the great Caesar, himself! Your acts of vengeance may very well be your undoing!"

Olin turned to him and grinned. "Caesar, eh? I have nothing to fear from a grape-eating, silk-ass wuss." The other Vikings broke into laughter, and he stomped over to the soldier and grabbed him by the neck, almost choking him. " _You_ are the one who should be fearing for your life right now."

He then turned to his men and pumped his fist in the air while shouting, "BLOOD EAGLE!" The crowd went into an uproar and the two Vikings that held the soldier pinned him to the deck on his stomach. Another man stripped him of his armor, leaving only his undershirt on.

Olin walked over to Alba, grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him. "Now watch, girl," he grabbed her chin again with his other hand and forced her to look at the soldier. "This is what happens to those who dare to provoke the wrath of Greyfurs."

A Viking with an axe knelt down over the soldier and slowly dragged his weapon down the latter's back. The legionary screamed in pain and agony, and although Alba couldn't turn away from the gruesome sight, she quickly closed her eyes. Unfortunately, she could not block out the sickening sounds of flesh being cut through and bones cracking. This went on for nearly twenty minutes, but she dared not open her eyes and see what they were doing to him. His screams slowly reduced to groans and gurgled choking, until he finally became silent.

A faint booming sound in the distance caused Olin to become tense and he raised his hand. The Vikings saw his signal and immediately stopped the torture. The chief dragged Alba with him to the stern and looked up into the black, starless sky, searching for something.

For a moment, there was complete silence and everyone was still. Then a ball of green fire came hurling down and missed the boat by a few inches, causing it to rock violently. A few Vikings were thrown off into the waters, while the others prepared for battle and unsheathed their swords.

Olin smirked devilishly and whispered, "So she has come for me at last." He tossed Alba, completely disregarding her, and raised his own sword. "Come at me, beast!" he bellowed. "I'm ready for you!"

A shadowy figure swooped down at them and the ship's torches briefly revealed woody brown scales before they were blown out by the gust of wind.

The Vikings' dragons all appeared and breathed fire, aiming at the intruder. But it was much too quick for them and avoided the flames, the lights of which revealed its long, slender frame and massive wings. The dragon dove past them and straight toward the ship, opening its jaws and spewing green fire. The boat was now in flames and the Vikings all jumped into the safety of the waters, except for the chief, himself, who remained where he stood, his sword still in his hand.

Alba was about to make a jump for it when she saw the dragon latch itself onto the stern with the hooks on its wings and slowly slither toward Olin, the pupils in its lime green eyes turning into slits. It let out a terrifying hiss and pulled its neck back, preparing to strike at its prey, when all of a sudden the smaller enemy dragons came down and ambushed it. The brown dragon roared angrily and struggled to wiggle them off as they bit down on its neck and back.

"That's it," Olin chuckled darkly as he slowly approached the trapped dragon with his sword raised. "I've got you now."

Although she had the chance to escape and save her own skin, somehow Alba just couldn't let him kill that dragon. Before she even realized what she was doing, she charged at Olin and shoved him as hard as she could, causing him to stumble and fall off the ship.

The brown dragon had finally shaken off the last of the smaller dragons and took off into the black sky, but not before Alba grabbed a hold of its long tail. She held on for dear life as they got higher and higher, and she prayed to the gods that she would survive the flight.

...

By morning, the air had become much colder, and Alba's entire body shook like a leaf and her teeth chattered as the freezing wind blew against her with full force. As the hours passed, her arms became weaker and it was getting harder for her to stay awake. Finally, the fatigue combined with the freezing temperature was too much and she passed out.

When the dragon felt her let go of its tail and saw her falling, it wasted no time in diving after her.

* * *

"Come on, Hooky," Snotlout Jorgenson yawned and stretched himself as he stepped outside, his Monstrous Nightmare growling at him to hurry up. "It's way too early to go flying. Go back to bed and wake me up another five hours."

Hookfang would hear none of it and he clamped his jaws down on Snotlout's body, but not hard enough to kill him. It did cause him major discomfort, though.

Snotlout groaned inside the dragon's mouth and his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine. You win...as usual."

Grinning triumphantly, Hookfang tossed Snotlout into the air and the Viking grunted as he landed roughly on the dragon's head. They took off into the pink and blue sky, and Snotlout leaned against Hookfang's right horn as they flew away from the village. He wasn't used to getting up this early and he dozed off for a moment, but then his dragon startled him awake with a roar.

"AHHH! Hookfang! You almost gave me a heart attack!" he scolded.

Hookfang roared again and tilted his head toward one of the sea stacks.

Snotlout looked at him confused, not getting it. "What's wrong with you? You got that tic again?"

Snorting in annoyance and rolling his eyes, Hookfang dashed toward one of the rock columns, and his rider squinted as he spotted something lying on its flat surface. His blues widened when he realized that it was a person. A woman to be exact.

They landed on the rock and Snotlout hopped off his dragon to check her over. He placed his right ear on her chest, listening for a heartbeat. It was very faint, but it was there. He pulled away and studied her face. She was stunning beautiful and looked to be around his age. But judging from her clothes, she wasn't from around here. She wasn't even a Viking.

He noticed the engraved pendant around her neck and carefully picked it up between his finger and thumb, studying its features. It looked really weird, like a woman's head with three legs growing out of it.

Where in the name of Thor did this lady come from?

Just then Alba's eyes fluttered open and she groaned as she regain consciousness. The first thing she saw was a blurry figure with horns, and when her vision cleared, she was horrified to see another Viking kneeling over her. She noticed that he was holding her pendant and scooted away from him.

"Here!" She ripped off her necklace and threw it at him. "Take it! Just don't hurt me!"

He looked at her and then at the necklace in his hand before shrugging. "Okay. Thanks, I guess."

She blinked a couple of times before she realized what she was doing. Did she seriously just give up her family heirloom? "Wait! Give that back!" She snatched it out of his hand and held it close to her chest protectively.

"Okay, okay," Snotlout held his hands up. "Sheesh. Make up your mind, will ya?"

Alba gasped when she saw the Monstrous Nightmare that was standing behind the young Viking. She had never seen anything more terrifying in her life. "Oh, my gods! Get away from me!" She stood up and ran away in blind fear, not realizing that she was heading straight toward the ledge.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, WHOA!" Snotlout immediately darted after her. "Lady, STOP!" Right as she was about to fall off, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away in time. They both fell backwards onto the ground with her sitting in his lap. Despite the situation, Snotlout couldn't help but grin lustfully. He was _definitely_ turned on by this.

Alba, on the other hand, was quick to get out of his lap and stepped away from him, a blush on her cheeks. "S-Sorry," she said as she rubbed her arm awkwardly.

"Don't be," he said, the grin still on his face. "I know I'm not."

She frowned at him and took another step back. Was this guy a pervert? "Yeah, uh, okay. Um, could you tell me where I am?"

"You're not too far from Berk, sweetheart," he said as he stood back up and brushed the dust off his pants.

She tilted her head a bit. "Berk? Is that a country?"

"Nope. It's an island. You're not from around here, are you?"

"Well, no actually. I live in Britannia, but I was kidnapped by these Vikings and their crazy chief...what's his name...oh, yeah, Olin."

Snotlout raised an eyebrow at her. "Olin? Never heard of him."

She looked at him surprised. "Really? Well, listen, I need a place to stay for a while and-"

"Oh, sure! You can stay with _me_ at _my_ house," he winked at her.

Alba looked at him unamused. Okay, this guy was really starting to get on her nerves. "No thanks. I meant like at an inn or something."

"Okay, then." He walked over to Hookfang and hopped back on his neck, gesturing for her to come with a wave of his hand. "Let's get going."

She looked at Hookfang nervously and wringed her hands. "Uh...I'm not sure."

Snotlout understood why she was nervous and patted Hookfang on the head. "Don't worry, he doesn't bite. Well, actually he does, but most of the time it's only me."

Slowly and hesitantly, she approached the dragon and climbed onto his neck behind Snotlout. The Viking glanced over his shoulder at her with a sly grin. "Put your arms around me. You know, for your own safety."

She rolled her eyes and held onto his black fur vest instead. "I'll take my chances," she mumbled.

What was with this guy?

 **If you guessed that the dragons that kidnapped Alba were Grim Gnashers, you were right! Can you guess the species of the dragon that saved her?**

 **As to why that dragon attacked Olin, that will be revealed in later chapters.**

 **And what is a Blood Eagle you ask? That's somehing you'll have to look up yourself. It's pretty gory.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for all your support!**

 **NOTE: There will probably be grammar mistakes which I will fix later.**

Stepping off his Alpha Grim Gnasher, Olin grumbled and cursed under his breath as he stomped toward his great stone house with two of his men following after him.

The Greyfur Tribe lived on a relatively small island with only a few trees and a fortress of sharp-edged rocks that jutted upward. A black mountain towered over the village and also served as a nest for the Grim Gnashers. The tribe was well-known for having tamed grey wolves as pets and giving them the bones of their conquered enemies to gnaw on, hence the name "Greyfur".

"Who knows?" a Viking with messy blonde hair and a circle beard touched his chief on the shoulder. "Maybe she didn't survive and the dragon ate her?"

Olin wasn't the least bit cheered up and his lip curled into a snarl. "I wanted to kill her myself," he growled.

"Well, even so, Magnus Cassius has just lost someone he loves," the other Viking with black hair and a forked braided beard said. "He will now know the pain that he caused you years ago. Isn't that what you wanted, Olin?"

The chief stopped and slowly turned to the men, angry veins popping out of his head. "What I _wanted_...was to bring her head to him so that he would know who did it and why. I _wanted_ Magnus Cassius to forever live with the guilt of knowing that she was dead because of him and his lust for power and conquest! And I haven't even a _hair_ from her head to prove it!"

The Vikings were left speechless and watched as their leader continued on his way to his house and slammed the door behind him.

Once inside, he let out a heavy sigh of frustration and took off his wolfhide, hanging it on a nearby hook on his wall. Lying on a bearskin rug in front of his comfy sheepskin chair was a tamed grey wolf of his own that continued to lick and gnaw on a bone. He gave his pet a quick scratch on the head removing his spiked shoulder armor and sitting down.

He reached down for a chest next to his chair and opened it, revealing various items from jewelry to weaponry, none of which were of Viking origin, though. He gently picked up a necklace of seashells, pearls, and beads which his wife wore her on their wedding day and then a small wooden horse that he carved for his oldest son, cradling them both in his hands.

Before he became chief of the Greyfurs, he lived as a hunter in a Briton tribe and his birth name was Dosne. His people didn't go looking for fights with other neighboring tribes and were fairly peaceful, so when the Romans invaded their land five years ago, they were unprepared and they quickly surrendered. But by the time the tribe submitted to the Romans, most of the men, women, and children had already been killed.

Dosne escaped and fled up north, and he eventually found the island of the Greyfurs. Intially they threatened to disembowel him upon his arrival, but after hearing his story, they decided to spare him, for they, too, harbored a deep hatred toward the Romans. To become a brother in their tribe, Dosne had to pass a series of tests, the last being to kill a dragon on another island and bring its carcass to their chief.

To their surprise, he came back with the hide of a Timberjack, a majestic and extremely dangerous species of dragon. This earned him the upmost respect of the entire village and he was given a new Viking name: Olin. Unfortunately, this action also made him a new enemy: the mate of the slain dragon, which hunted for him ever since.

A few years later, the chief suddenly became very ill, and with no children of his own, he anointed Olin as his successor on his deathbed. This presented him the perfect opportunity to take revenge on the man who destroyed his family and home, and when he heard that Magnus Cassius had a young fiancé back in the Britains, he wasted no time in traveling back to his homeland with his best warriors and their dragons to find her.

He closed his eyes and sighed as he pressed the necklace against his forehead. But then that blasted dragon came and ruined everything. The gods truly must've hated him so, giving him the chance to avenge his family only to take it away.

Unless Cassius cared enough about this girl to go after her, himself.

Olin slowly lifted his head and grinned to himself as the realization kicked in. He could still have his revenge and even kill the great Roman general once he has reached Viking territory. Of course, the Greyfur tribe alone could not take an entire Roman army. He would need to form an alliance with other tribes by convincing them that their combined forces could vanquish the Roman threat.

Perhaps the gods were acting on his behalf, after all.

* * *

"Oh, my gods," Alba whispered in awe as they approached the Isle of Berk.

It wasn't a very big island, but it was swarming with dragons of all shapes and sizes. A purple and green Nadder was flying in the opposite direction and its rider greeted them with a smile and a merry, "Morning!" as he dashed past them. Huh. Friendly Vikings. A huge contrast to what she had experienced last night.

Hookfang landed on the docks and Snotlout helped Alba off. "Thank you for choosing to fly with us," he said with a grin. "Hope you had a good travel, and welcome to Berk."

As Alba took in her surroundings, something prickly touched her foot, causing her to jump and cry out. A green Terrible Terror was sniffing her feet curiously, and when it looked up at her with its big yellow eyes, it titled its head and made a cute chirping sound. It was adorable!

"Awww," she knelt down to pet the little dragon. "Hi, cutie-"

She screamed when the Terror suddenly climbed up her leg and into her tunic. She danced around like a madwoman as she felt it crawl all over her. "OH, DEAR JUPITER! GET IT OUT! GET IT OUT!"

Snotlout was quick to come to her aid and tried to catch the dragon as it moved around under her tunic. He saw it crawling toward her butt and reached for it, but it quickly went down her leg and he grabbed her left cheek instead.

Alba gasped and went stiff, her entire face red from embarrassment.

He quickly realized what he had just done and smiled sheepishly. "Oops. Heh. Sorry."

The Terrible Terror decided that it had explored enough and crawled out of her dress, scurrying away with a guttural purr.

"Pesky little things," Snotlout chuckled nervously as he brushed the dirt off Alba's clothes. "Don't know why anyone would want them as pets."

But she only gave him a death glare, her cheeks still red.

He cleared his throat and gestured for her to follow him. "Anyway, let's, uh, let's go meet the chief." He noticed Hookfang giving him a smug look as though he were saying, "Smooth, pal...very smooth."

As they walked through the village, Alba noticed that every Viking had at least one dragon. Even the children were playing with baby dragons and Terrible Terrors. The dragons, themselves, were helping the humans with their chores, from hanging wet laundry from high places to boiling the water in the pots with their fire.

Back in Rome, dragons existed only in stories which the elders would tell to children to keep them from misbehaving. Bad little boys and girls were a dragon's favorite snack. But as Alba watched a Gronckle giving two small boys a ride, she realized that there was so much more to these vicious winged reptiles than meets the eye.

She couldn't help but notice that several of the villagers were staring at her as she passed by. Her foreign clothes made her stick out like a sore thumb, no doubt, and she wondered what would happen if they found out that she was a Roman.

"Hey, Snotlout!"

The two turned to see Thorston twins and Fishlegs Ingerman approaching with their dragons, Barf and Belch and Meatlug. Tuffnut laughed as he playfully punched his sister on the shoulder, much to the latter's annoyance. "Oh, man, you missed it! Ruffnut was scratching Barf under his chin when-" He stopped talking when he saw Alba standing next to Snotlout. "Whoa, who's your pretty lady friend?"

"This is, uh..." Snotlout turned to Alba. "Sorry, I never got your name."

"Rude," Ruffnut muttered, earning a chuckle from her brother.

"My name is Alba," the foreigner introduced herself to the gang and offered her hand to shake. "A pleasure to meet you all."

"Hey, I'm Tuffnut." "My name is Fishlegs." The boys politely shook her hand, but Ruffnut simply stared at her clothes with a confused expression. "What's with the outfit?"

Alba slowly retracted her hand and looked down at herself. "My...outfit?"

"Yeah, don't you know that it's always cold here in Berk? You'll catch pneumonia wearing _that_."

"Well, I'm from Britannia, so I'm not familiar with the climate here."

"Britannia?" Fishlegs rubbed his rugged chin thoughtfully. "Isn't that another name for the Britains?" Alba nodded.

"Wait, what are you doing all the way out here if you're from the Britains?" Tuffnut asked.

Before Alba could answer that, Snotlout stood in between her and the trio. "Whoa, hey, let's not bombard the lady with questions. She's been through a lot. Have any of you seen Hiccup?"

"Last time I saw him, he was in the Great Hall with Astrid and Gobber," Fishlegs said.

"Great!" Snotlout casually wrapped his arm around Alba without thinking. "Let's go pay him a visit." She gave him a dirty look and he immediately got the message. "Sorry," he meekly said as he let go of her and walked on ahead toward the Great Hall.

She followed him and waved at the others. "It was nice meeting you all." Then she whispered to him, "'Fishlegs'? 'Hiccup'? _'Snoutlout'?_ No offense, but you've all got strange names."

He stopped walking and turned to her with a smug grin. "Yeah? Well, no offense, but you're wearing strange clothes. And what does 'Alba' even mean and why did they name you that?"

Alba struck her chin up proudly and crossed her arms. "'Alba' means 'light', and my parents picked it because it's a beautiful name. Why did they name you 'Snotlout'? Did your mom pick you out of her nose or something?"

"HA!" Snotlout laughed dramatically. "That's a good one!" He turned away from her and muttered, "Like I never heard _that_ one before."

...

When they walked inside, unsurprisingly, there were even more dragons, mostly babies and Terrors that fluttered above their heads and crawled all over the floors. A baby Gronckle wobbled up to Alba and nuzzled her ankle with a purr. She wanted to pick him up and cuddle with him but hesitated, remembering the incident with the Terror earlier. But she gave in as he looked up at her with yellow puppy-dog eyes and carefully lifted him up and placed him in her arms.

From the other side of the room, Astrid Hofferson saw Alba walk in with Snotlout and cuddling with the baby Gronckle. She walked over to them and smiled at Alba. "He really likes you," she said as she scratched the Gronckle under his chin. "You're new here, aren't you?"

Alba chuckled and nodded. "That obvious? Lemme guess, it's my attire, right?"

"Well, that, and you act as if you've never seen a dragon before. They don't have dragons where you come from?"

"No," Alba shook her head. "I didn't believe they existed." She tickled the baby dragon on the tummy, making it squeal and wiggle. "But boy, was I wrong."

"Welp," Snotlout clapped his bangs and rubbed them, "I'll just leave you two ladies to your business, while I'll go sharpen Hookfang's claws."

Astrid looked at him confused. "Aren't they already sharp enough?"

He smirked and shrugged as he walked back outside. "A dragon's claws can never be too sharp, especially Hookfang's."

As soon as the door shut, Alba turned to Astrid. "Is he always this cocky?"

Astrid rolled her eyes and sighed. "Oh, you have no idea."

"But aside from that, he's a good guy." At that moment, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock approached the two ladies with Gobber following him. He gave Alba a genuine, warm smile that said a lot about his character already. "Hi. Welcome to Berk. My name is Hiccup."

Alba blinked in surprise. "Wait, _you're_ Hiccup the chief?"

"Yeah," Hiccup chuckled. "I know. You were expecting someone a lot older and with more on his bones. I get that a lot."

Suddenly, Alba felt hot breath against her neck and she slowly turned her head. A large pair of green eyes with vertical rectangular pupils stared at her curiously. She stumbled backwards and almost dropped the baby Gronckle in shock. The large jet black dragon that stood before her tilted his head and purred.

"It's okay," Hiccup walked to the dragon and gave him a scratch under the chin. "This is Toothless."

Alba raised an eyebrow and almost laughed. Wow. Even the dragons had weird names. "'Toothless'? Why is he called-?"

As if on cue, the dragon opened its mouth into an adorable, toothless smile that made Alba's heart melt.

"Awww, that's so cute," she cooed at him and reached out to pet him. Toothless eagerly pressed his snout against her hand with his tongue stick out and his long tail wagging. His dog-like behavior reminded her of Brutus, and she instantly felt sadness and worry for her canine friend. Hopefully he made it back to shore and is being taken care of. Toothless sensed her feelings and groaned softly as nuzzled her hand in comfort.

"So what brings you to Berk, lass?" Gobber asked. "Business? Vacation? Though I have to warn you that we're a bit a crowded and we don't carry those fancy drinks with the little umbrellas."

"Well, actually, I was hoping that you could help me," Alba said. "See, I was kidnapped by this other group of Vikings. The uh...Greyhairs?"

Gobber's eyes widened in surprise. "The Greyfurs? Oh, I know those guys. Real nasty and rude. They aren't exactly friends with us, neither."

"And you say they kidnapped you?" Hiccup asked.

"Yeah," Alba nodded.

"Well, do you have any clue as to why?"

Alba was about to answer that, but then she remembered what Olin said about the other Vikings holding a grudge against Cassius. These Vikings seemed friendly, but what if they, too, hated Romans? Perhaps it would be best for her to keep her relationship with Cassius and her ethnicity a secret. "...I don't know," she finally answered.

She then reached for the small bag of money that was tied to her belt and held it out to Hiccup. "I just need to stay here for a few days. You know, while I get things figured out. I'm willing to pay you in jewels."

"Oh, no," Hiccup shook his head and gently pushed the money away. "That's okay, it's not necessary."

Alba offered it to him. "No, really, I insist. It's the least I can-"

The baby Gronckle all of a sudden wiggled out of her arm, snatched the bag with his mouth, and started to fly off with it.

"Oh, no, no, no, no!" Alba chased after it. "Bad dragon! Drop it! Drop it!"

Thankfully he couldn't fly very high and she managed to grab a hold of the bag. When she tugged at it, the Gronckle stubbornly tugged back, not willing to let it go, and it was a lot stronger than it looked. As they continued to play tug-a-war, the bag began to tear and coins and jewels began to spill out. Toothless rushed to Alba's side and roared at the Gronckle, scaring him and causing him to drop the bag.

Astrid and Gobber helped her pick up the scattered money and jewels, but when the latter picked up a coin and studied it's features, his face blanched as he recognized the man's face on it. He slipped the coin into his pocket while the others weren't looking.

"Ah, sorry about that," Hiccup handed the bag back to Alba. "Like I said, you don't need to pay us, and you're welcomed to stay here as long as you need. We'll deal with these Greyfurs if they give us any more trouble."

"Really?" Alba smiled, touched by all this generosity. "Well...thank you."

Hiccup nodded then turned to his girlfriend. "Astrid, could you show our guest where she'll be staying?"

"Sure thing, babe," Astrid took her by the arm and walked with her to the door. "And we'll get you some warmer clothes, too."

Once they were gone, Gobber tapped Hiccup on the shoulder. "Hiccup, we need to talk," he said in an unusually serious tone.

Hiccup noticed how tense his old friend and mentor was and became concerned. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Oh, I wish." Gobber pulled the coin out of his pocket and showed it to the young chief. "You recognize this man's face?"

Hiccup squinted his eyes and shook his head. "No, I-I don't."

"It's Julius Caesar. You know, the king of the Romans. Our guest..." Gobber nodded to the door. "...is a Roman."

Hiccup merely shrugged. "So?"

" _So?_ " Gobber repeated incredulously. "Do you know what Romans do to Vikings? Or to anyone else who doesn't bow to them? We used to think that dragons were monsters, but people like her...they're devils."

"Now, hold up, Gobber," Hiccup held up his hand for him to stop. "If she were really dangerous, Toothless would've sensed it." Said dragon walked up to his friend and purred in agreement. "And he's a better judge of character than I am."

"Maybe so. But what if her friends come looking for her, if she is telling the truth, that is? They might send armies to go find her, and if they stumble upon Berk, then we're done for. They conquered entire _countries_! We're just one little island."

"But we have dragons. That kind of puts us at an advantage, don't you think?"

Gobber hummed and shook his head. "I don't know. But if were you, I would make her leave as soon as possible before they do find us."

"Gobber," Hiccup said sternly, "I said she could stay here as long as she needs, and I'm going to stick to my word. Besides, it's not like we're holding her hostage. If they do find Berk, she could explain the situation to them and then there would be no need for a war."

Gobber considered this, nodding slowly, though still unsure. "Well...alright. Let's hope that you turn out to be right...for all our sakes."


	3. Chapter 3

**NOTE: There will probably be grammar mistakes which I will fix later.**

 **WARNING: Animal cruelty and killing of humans for sport.**

Later that night, Alba had been invited to come dine with the whole gang at the Great Hall. She about threw up in her mouth at the putrid smell of her "dinner". Apparently, yak soup was a very popular dish on Berk. Actually, anything with yak in it was popular.

And the long-sleeved dress that Astrid provided for her, it was so itchy and smelled weird. It was also a very ugly color of green that reminded her of vomit. She wouldn't be surprised if her fur boots were made from a yak, as well.

Snotlout sat directly across from her at the table and noticed that she hadn't even touched her food. "What, you not hungry?"

"I'm not sure if I can eat this," Alba mumbled as she looked down at the yellow-brown water that had bits of meat and green leaves mixed in it. It didn't look all that appetizing.

"You haven't even tried it yet," Ruffnut said as she took another sip of hers (rather noisily in a disgusting way).

Fishlegs nodded. "Yeah, it's really good. Trust me, Gobber's soups are the best."

Alba raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Gobber? The guy with the one hand? _He's_ your cook?"

"Hey, anyone can cook with one hand." Tuffnut snickered as he gestured to his sister next to him. "Heck, my sister doesn't have even a _brain_ and she can cook." Ruffnut punched him in response and knocked him off the bench.

"Just try it," Snotlout told her with a smile. "You might end up loving it. Or spewing it out in disgust. Either way, you'll never know until you've tried, right?"

Alba looked down at her soup again and picked up the wooden spoon. She slowly and hesitantly took a spoonful and sip it. Her eyes bugged out the moment the liquid splashed onto her tastebuds. As she had predicted, it tasted terrible and she spat it out immediately.

"Annnd she spewed it out," Tuffnut chuckled as he sat back down.

"Ugh!" Alba wiped her mouth with her sleeve. "How can you _eat_ this crap?!"

"This isn't crap," Tuffnut pointed to his bowl. "I've actually eaten crap before, so I know what I'm talking about it."

Ruffnut nodded. "He's telling the truth."

Groaning in disgust, Alba pushed her bowl away. "I'll just have some vegetables and fruits instead."

"Oh, then you're out of luck, lass." Gobber walked out of the kitchen with a pot of yak soup and set down on their table. "I've just used the last of the good vegetables to make this soup. Everything else in the kitchen is either rotten or infested with maggots, except the turnips. Anyways, who wants seconds?"

Everyone but Alba eagerly held out their bowls as Gobber took his ladle and poured them some more. Just watching them eat that garbage made Alba feel sick.

"Unless you want to go hungry for the rest of the night," Gobber said to Alba as he picked up her plate, "I suggest you'd either eat the soup or settle for some turnips 'cause that's all we have right now."

"I'll have the turnips," Alba said almost immediately. She would at least be able to digest that. Hopefully.

Gobber gave her a look before shrugging and heading back to the kitchen. "Suit yourself."

"So, um, question," Snotlout pointed to Alba's pendant. "What's with your necklace? It looks someone cut off a lady's head and then it grew legs."

"What? Whoa, lemme see!" Ruffnut reached across the table to grab Alba's pendant, but the Roman girl pulled away.

"Hey, hey, back off!" Alba clutched her necklace protectively. "This is my heirloom! And if you must know, it's the symbol of Sicily."

"Sicily? But I thought you said you were from the Britains?" Fishlegs questioned.

"My mother was born in Sicily, but she left the country to marry my father."

"So what does your Dad do?" Tuffnut asked. "Is he a warrior? No wait, he's a chief, right? That's why the Greyfurs kidnapped you."

"Um, no," Alba mumbled, feeling a little embarrassed. Every single person on the island was a warrior of some sort. Even the women here carried around axes instead of purses. But no one in her family from either side had ever gone to battle, and she would be the first member to marry a soldier. "He's actually a...Senator."

They all looked at her with confused expressions.

"Uh, what's that?" Snotlout asked as he scratched his head.

"It's a political figure," Alba explained.

"Oh, like a chief," Fishlegs concluded with a smile.

"Well...no, not really."

"Soooo what does a Senator do, then?" Ruffnut asked.

"Advise...mostly." The more Alba explained, the more belittled she felt, and the less impressed the others became.

"Advise who?" Snotlout asked.

Gods, Vikings sure ask a lot of questions! Alba sighed and rubbed her face. "Look, I'm really tired, so please stop asking me so many questions."

Gobber returned with a plate of turnips and placed it in front of Alba. "Here you are, Miss Alba. Fresh from our gardens."

Alba picked up a turnip and took a big, crunchy bite out of it. It wasn't half bad. "Mmm," she nodded and quickly ate the rest of it. Then she took another one and wolfed it down like she hadn't eaten in days.

Gobber later picked up the empty plate and the old Viking couldn't believe how hungry the girl was. "Well, I, uh, hope that'll satisfy you for the rest of the night."

She nodded as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Oh, yes. Thank you."

"Good. And for breakfast tomorrow, we're having eggs and Yak."

Alba groaned and closed her eyes. More Yak?

...

There was a small wooden house on a hill that was built for weary travelers and guests, but unfortunately, a group of Terrible Terrors had moved in since there were hardly any visitors. So in a way, Alba had about eight roommates, which meant that she wouldn't get any sleep.

Snotlout had offered to walk her home, and although she wished that it was someone else, she was too afraid to be out alone, especially now that some crazy bloodthirsty Vikings were looking for her.

He tried to flirt with her again as they walked up the hill. "So anyway, if you'd like, I could give you a tour of Berk tomorrow. And then maybe we could explore the rest of the island on my dragon?"

"Maybe," she mumbled tiredly and yawned, not really paying attention to what he was telling her. She just wanted to hop into bed.

"Well, then, goodnight!" Snotlout turned to leave once they got to the top of the hill. "Sleep tight! Don't let the bed trolls bite!"

"Yeah, okay." Alba opened the door and was immediately greeted with hisses and guttural growls. There were Terrible Terrors in the bed, on the table, and even on the ceiling. The interior of the house was simple enough: there was a small fireplace in the corner with a cooking pot next to it, a table with two chairs and a vase that had a simple blue flower, and a bed fit for two people.

She walked straight to the bed, shooed the little dragons away, and climbed in. Of course, as soon as she pulled the covers over herself, they all jumped on top of her and nestled around her. One laid itself on top of her head and its purrs rumbled against her.

This was going to be a _long_ night.

Suddenly her eyes popped open. "...wait...'bed trolls'?"

* * *

 _"Your first visit to the Amphitheater," Avitus smiled at his thirteen-year-old daughter as they walked through the gates of the Colosseum together. "It's too bad that your mother won't be joining us."_

 _"Yeah, I know," Alba said as she continued to scratch her new puppy's tummy. It was her birthday today and her father had decided to take her to the famous Flavian Amphitheater, where the best entertainment happens, including chariot racing, dramas, and gladiator fights. And best of all, she would finally get to see the great Caesar, himself, up close and in person. "Thanks for bringing me here, Father."_

 _Avitus chuckled as he patted her on the back. "Of course, dearest. I just know that you'll have a grand time."_

 _Being a Senator, Avitus and his family were granted cushioned seats on the first tier, where they would have the best view of the arena. The Imperial box, where Caesar always sat, was right next to them, and when the trumpets sounded for the arrival of their beloved ruler, Alba stood up with the rest of the crowd_ _and eagerly waited._

 _Caesar, who was wearing his usual golden wreath and royal purple toga, stepped into the box and waved to the cheering crowd. Alba expected someone more...attractive and divine, like a god. But all she saw was a sickly, frail man with a pointy nose and bags under his eyes. His teeth were also rotten and yellow, and Alba was almost certain that he was missing a few._

 _The gladiators stepped into the arena and raised their swords and spears, earning another cheer from the audience. Alba expected a great show from them and clapped along with the crowd. Avitus smiled at her warmly and wrapped an arm around her._

 _Suddenly the gate to one of the beasts' cages lifted and a male lion sauntered out into the open. The beast looked rather old and sickly and even starved with his ribcage sticking out. The gladiators held up their shields, preparing for a bloody battle. But the lion merely yawned and laid himself down on his side, clearly not wanting to fight._

 _The crowd immediately booed and jeered, demanding for a more exciting show. Two gladiators with spears slowly approached the big cat, and one of them actually poked him in the leg. The lion roared and swiped at the man once, but did nothing more. Then the another gladiator poke his spear into the lion's shoulder, this time drawing blood. And again the old beast roared and swiped then laid back down. It seemed that he was submitting to his fate, too tired to even put up a fight._

 _The audience continued to boo and hiss, while Alba held her puppy close to her. This wasn't as fun as she had imagined it to be. In fact, it was sickening to watch them torture that poor animal. Even the puppy was whimpering during the whole event._

 _Finally, two more gladiators charged at the lion with their swords and plunged them into his side at the same time. The animal lifted his head and let out a pained roar, and then Alba's stomach churned when he moaned in agony and slowly lowered his head, until he became very still and quiet._

 _Even then the crowd still wasn't satisfied and grumbled amongst themselves, until Caesar stood up from his seat and motioned for the guards to bring out the next opponents. The lion's body was dragged away while the gladiators remained where they stood, and then to Alba's horror and the crowd's delight, a lower class man with his wife and young daughter were being shoved into the arena by the soldiers._

 _Alba instantly recognized the family. They worked at a bakery and often delivered bread to her house. It has been recently discovered that they were Christians, but nobody seemed to really care. After all, they've never hurt anyone before and were the nicest people she knew. So what could they have possibly done to be put to death? The daughter was only ten years old, and she clung to her mother's tunic as she cried. Even above the crowd's uproar, Alba could hear her sobs which stabbed her heart._

 _"Daddy," she nervously turned to her father, "why is the baker and his family down there?"_

 _Avitus only shushed her and pointed to the arena. "Just watch the show, dear."_

 _The gladiatiors were hesitant to kill them, but under the threat of being executed themselves, they marched toward the helpless family. The baker tried to protect his wife and child but he was the first to be slaughtered. The wife shielded her child with her body as the gladiators moved on to them next, and Alba didn't stay to watch as she got up from her seat and ran to the nearest exit. She ignored her father calling out to her and the stares of everyone else._

 _When she got outside, she bent down and let go of her puppy as she heaved and coughed. How could her father ever believe that she would enjoy watching an animal be tortured and a family get slaughtered?_

 _This was the worst birthday ever._

 _She heard someone approach her from behind and felt a hand gently touch her back. "Alba, sweetie, why did you run off like that?" Avitus softly asked her, concern in his voice._

 _Alba quickly stood up and turned around to face her father. "Are you_ kidding _me?!" she yelled angrily. "I just watched those innocent people get killed! How could you be_ OK _with that?!"_

 _Avitus furrowed his brow as he crossed his arms. "They were not innocent. They were guilty of treason."_

 _"Treason? What did they do?"_

 _"They refused to worship and pay homage to the gods. You know what happens if the gods are angered, don't you?"_

 _"I..." Alba lowered her eyes to the ground. "Yes."_

 _But her father told her anyway. "They will strike our lands with plagues and disasters and stop acting on our behalf in warfare. These Christians are the enemy of Rome and should therefore be put to death. I waited until you were old enough to show you what happens to terrorists and blasphemers."_

 _She lifted her eyes at him. "Terrorists? But they're not-"_

 _"You don't understand now, but you will when you're older." He patted her on the shoulder and gestured for her to follow him back to the amphitheater. "Now come, we mustn't be rude and miss the next show."_

 _Alba shook her head and picked up her puppy. "No," she said as she started to walk away. "I'm going home."_

 _She heard her father angrily stomp his foot. "Alba! You get back here this instant, young lady!"_

 _But she ignored him and instead focused on the dog, who continued to lick her chin. She smiled as she scratched him behind the ear. "I know what to call you now. Your name is Brutus." She knew that her father would disapprove of the name, but she didn't care. After what happened place today, she didn't care what her father or even the great Caesar, himself, would think._

 _Suddenly her father's shouting was replaced with growls and snarls, and Brutus began to bark at whatever was behind her. She slowly turned around to find a large lion standing in her father's place. The beast licked his chops and before Alba could make a run for it, he lunged right at her._

She jolted up in her bed screaming. Her heart was pounding against her chest, and after a few moments of panting and checking her surroundings, she took a deep breath and sighed shakily. The Terrors had not even awakened, too lost in their deep slumber to hear her cries. The one that slept on her pillow was even snoring so loud, it almost sounded like a growl.

Of course. That explains it.

* * *

Two hours of sleep. That was all she got thanks to her snoring and purring "roommates". She could imagine that she looked like a creature of the undead. Lack of sleep was terrible to her complexion, after all.

As soon as she opened the door, the eight Terrors swarmed out of the house and into the sky. She stepped outside and instantly the sweet smell of food cooking filled her nostrils, causing her nearly empty stomach to rumble loudly.

"Sounds like someone's hungry," a familiar voice chuckled.

She gasped and turned to see Snotlout leaning against a tree, smirking at her with his arms crossed.

"What...How long have you been standing there?" Alba demanded, a little bit creeped out. Was he waiting for her to wake up?

"Not long," he said with a shrug. "About thirty minutes. Everyone's already eaten their breakfast. Gobber's saved your portion, but it's probably cold by now."

"Oh. Sorry," she sheepishly muttered as she brushed her messy hair away from her face.

Snotlout noticed the dark circles under her eyes and frowned. "Geez, did you get any sleep at all?"

She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. "Mm-Mmm. Not much."

He nodded. "I'm not surprised. You didn't eat much last night. Can't sleep on an empty stomach, after all."

"Well, that, and those stupid dragons kept me up all night," she grumbled and yawned. "Will they ever leave?"

He laughed and shook his head. "Nope. But you could ask Toothless to make them go away."

Alba blinked. "Toothless? Hiccup's dragon?"

"Yeah, 'cause he's the Alpha. You know, the top dragon. All the other dragons listen to him, even those pesky Terrible Terrors."

"Oh, that's good," Alba sighed in relief. "I'll have a talk with Hiccup later. But first, what's for breakfast?"

"Eggs and yak! But hey, if you still can't stomach the yak, there's always those turnips that you like so much," he added with a chuckle.

She looked at him unamused and started to walk down the hill and toward the village. "Very funny. Let's just go alread-" She froze when she saw a fleet of Viking ships in the distance. Their design looked awfully famil-

Oh, Jupiter, no.

NO!

How did they find her?!

Snotlout followed her gaze and saw how pale she had become. "Hey, uh, you okay, babe?"

She said nothing and ran back into the house, slamming the door behind her and quickly barricading it with the table and chairs.

Snotlout pounded on the door, alarmed at how scared she was acting all of a sudden. "Hey! Alba! What's going on?! Are you okay?!"

Alba ignored him and sat down on the bed, hugging herself as she began to hyperventilate. This was it. She was dead. The Greyfur chief Olin was going to tell Hiccup and the others who she really was, and once they found out...

"Alba!" Snotlout poked his head through the window, which she forgot to barricade. "What's the matter? You act like you just saw the face of Fenrir!" He struggled to climb in but then she threw the vase at him. He ducked just in time and looked at her surprised.

"Go away!" she yelled as she grabbed the cooking pot next and threatened to throw it at him. "I mean it! Leave me alone!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Snotlout backed away with his hands up. "Okay! Okay, I'm leaving!" He hurried down the hill and shook his head as he muttered, "Sheesh, that chick is crazy." He then grinned. "My type of girl."

Alba watched as he disappeared into the village, then looked back up at the ships that were getting closer. She had to leave the island and fast, but she was going to need a ship or at least build a raft. To her great luck, there was an axe sitting in a corner, and the island had plenty of trees.

She grabbed the axe and ran out of the house and into the forest. Meanwhile, at the docks, Olin of the Greyfur Tribe stepped out of his ship to meet with the chief of the Hooligans, Hiccup Haddock.

 **In case you're wondering, Fenrir is a monstrous wolf in Norse mythology that is supposed to kill and devour the god Odin during the events of Ragnarok.**


	4. Chapter 4

**NOTE: There will probably be grammar mistakes which I will fix late.**

"Hiccup, it's the Greyfurs" Astrid whispered into her boyfriend's ear as they along with the rest of the villagers rushed to the docks. Some Vikings brought their axes and swords with them in case of a surprise attack. The dragons remained hidden behind the houses or the trees, but were ready to defend their riders should the intruders try anything.

"I know," Hiccup whispered back, his eyes never leaving the approaching ships. "Where's Alba?"

"As far as I know, she's still in the guest house," Astrid nodded to the small house on the hill.

"Good. Go check on her, and tell her not to come out until it's safe."

She turned and pushed her way through the crowd to get to the hill, while Hiccup bravely faced the leading ship that was anchored at the dock. A large plank was dropped and Olin made his way down to meet with Hiccup. The Hooligans moved in closer behind their chief protectively, and from the roof of the Great Hall, Toothless watched the stranger's every move, growling deep in his throat. The Grim Gnashers on the ships growled at the hidden dragons, having picked up their scents, but instantly lowered their heads and became quiet when they spotted Toothless, who was now the King of all dragons.

The much older and larger chief humbly got down on one knee and bowed his head in respect. "Hiccup Horrendous of the Hooligans, I am Olin of the Greyfurs. Forgive us for this sudden and unannounced appearance."

Hiccup didn't expect the chief of such a barbaric tribe to be so polite and humble, but having learned much from past experiences, he still kept his guard up and stood at a cautious distance from the other man. "Um, sure. We welcome you to Berk."

Olin smiled as he lifted his head and stood back up. "Thank you. I have heard many great things about you. I offer you my condolences on the death of your father, Stoick. He was a great Viking, and it truly was a tragedy, what happened to him."

Gobber stepped out from the crowd and stood next to Hiccup, glaring distrustfully at Olin. "You talk as though you two were real pals."

"Oh, no," Olin shook his head. "I never met Stoick, but my predecessor, Rok, had clashed with him many times in the past, I regret to say. But he appointed me as the next chief before he died, and I want nothing more than to make peace between our two clans. Hiccup..." He stepped toward the shorter chief and offered him his hand to shake. "...please accept my friendship."

Hiccup only stared down at the calloused, scarred hand skeptically before taking a step back. "Somehow I get the feeling that you're here for something other than peace." Behind him, Gobber nodded his head in agreement, still glaring at the Greyfur chief.

Olin sighed and retracted his hand. "I'm afraid so. I also came to warn you of an impending invasion by an ancient enemy. You are familiar with the Romans, yes?"

At the mention of that name, the other Vikings gasped and murmured amongst themselves. Gobber glanced over at Hiccup, who was biting his lower lip in distress. The young chief quickly regained his composure and cleared his throat. "Yes, I am," he said calmly.

"Well, word has spread that a clan of Vikings kidnapped the wife of the great Roman general Magnus Cassius. What became of the woman, we do not know, but we fear that their actions will bring war, and for one clan to stand up against an entire legion would be suicide. But if more than one were to band together..."

"You're suggesting we go to war with the Romans?" Hiccup asked him with a raised eyebrow.

Olin nodded, a grim expression on his face. "We must be prepared to strike the moment they arrive."

Somewhere in the crowd, the other Riders listened to Olin's story and looked at each other after he was finished.

"You know, come to think of it," Fishlegs whispered, "Alba did mention that she was kidnapped by the Greyfurs. And she is from the Britains."

Tuffnut's eyes widened as his normally slow brain quickly put the pieces together. "Hey, you don't think...?"

Ruffnut had figured it out as well and she nodded as her face became distorted with anger. "I knew something smelled fishy about her," she growled. "She played us for fools!"

Snotlout said nothing and only stared down blankly at his boots, completely and utterly shocked. And a little disheartened. So she was a Roman, and a married one at that. Why couldn't he have more luck with chicks?

Ruffnut continued to grumble. "When I get my hands on that...that no-good scrawny Roman _liar_ , I'm gonna-!"

Tuffnut quickly put his hand over his sister's mouth to shut her up. "Shhhh! Let's hear what Hiccup has to say."

Everyone turned to Hiccup and waited for his response. The young chief and dragon master knew that Olin was leaving out a crucial piece of information: he was the one who kidnapped Alba and therefore put everyone in grave danger. But for Alba's safety, Hiccup pretended not to know this. "Look, we don't go looking for fights," he sternly said. "There's no need for war. If we could just talk to the Romans-"

"Talk?" Olin growled, his lip curled into a snarl. "There's no talking to Romans. They're heartless, greedy beasts who want to destroy us and take our lands. They will come to avenge one of their own, and when they do..."

He took a deep breath and softened his tone. "Hiccup, we both want to protect our people, and if we don't face them together, they will kill everyone we love. Our friends, our dragons..." He reached under his wolfhide and pulled out his small wooden horse. "...and our children," his voice wavered with emotion. "I've seen what they're like on the battlefield, what they're capable of. They don't care who they trample on to get what they want."

Hiccup saw Olin's eyes shine with unshed tears and felt sympathy for him. There's no pain comparable to that of losing a child, an experience that hopefully he, himself, will never have to go through in the near future. But it still didn't excuse what Olin had done, and he even had the nerve to ask the Hooligans to join him in a war that he started.

"You're right, Olin," he said. "A chief must protect his own, and we will be ready to defend our village. But we will _not_ take part in this war."

Olin's eyes widened in shock. "What...but you-!"

"You'll have to find another village that's willing to fight first and talk later. We had nothing to do with what happened to the general's wife, and I'm assuming you weren't involved, either?" he added as he raised an eyebrow.

"No!" Olin quickly lied, although Hiccup knew better. "Of course not! I only want to protect my people from Rome's wrath, and I came to _you_ for help! But you'd rather sit and watch us perish like the bunch of cowards that you are!"

"It's not cowardice," Hiccup calmly told him. "We're not afraid of the Romans, and we'll fight back if we must. But we want to avoid as much bloodshed as possible."

Olin couldn't believe his ears. A Viking who didn't want to fight? It was the ultimate shame and dishonor. Perhaps all those stories about the "great" and "fearless" dragon master of Berk weren't entirely true.

"I came from a tribe that didn't want to fight either," Olin whispered bitterly. "But they didn't show us any mercy. I was the only one to escape slavery and death, and afterwards I became a Greyfur. You are a fool to not join your Viking brothers and stand up against the Roman devils. You will regret this, Hiccup," he hissed before he stomped back up the plank and onto the ship.

"Guess this means we're not friends anymore?" Gobber sarcastically asked the Greyfur chief, who just ignored him.

Hiccup watched as the ships sailed off, relieved that they left but deeply troubled by the news they brought. Alba was telling the truth about her kidnapping, and he understood why she kept her ethnicity a secret, but it was clear that she could not stay on the island.

He turned to his fellow Vikings, who had worried and fearful looks on their faces. He could feel all of their eyes on him and the burden of keeping them safe as their chief felt even heavier on his shoulders.

"Hiccup!" The crowd allowed Astrid through as she ran to him. She grasped his arm as she struggled to catch her breath. "Hiccup," she panted, worry in her blue eyes, "Alba is gone."

Hiccup's green eyes widened. "What?"

"Oh, wonderful," Gobber groaned as he rubbed his temples with his only hand. "Just what we need."

* * *

On the other side of the island, Alba pushed her newly built raft into the water. It took her nearly three hours to make the stupid thing, and her hands and fingers stung with blisters and splinters. She never actually did any hard work in her entire life as she was the privileged daughter of a politician and had everything handed to her on a silver platter. But she was quite pleased with her work and eagerly climbed onto it, using her hands as paddles.

She felt bad about leaving Berk without thanking the inhabitants for their hospitality, but now that they knew the truth, she couldn't stay any longer. It was a real shame, though. She would've loved to learn more about their culture and way of life, and it would've been awesome to have a dragon of her own.

But not even a minute after she hopped on and paddled away, the raft began to sink and fall apart. "Awww, crap!"

Grumbling and cursing under her breath, she walked back to the shore and fell onto her back. She sighed in defeat as she looked up at the grey cloudy skies. Then, as if she wasn't wet enough, a couple of raindrops hit her face, and before she knew it, it was pouring down.

This just wasn't her day.

All of a sudden, she heard someone chuckling from behind her and quickly sat up to turn her head. Snotlout was standing a couple of feet from her, his arms crossed and a smug smile on his face. "I tried that before," he said. "At least yours lasted for more than ten seconds."

"You again?" Alba groaned. "Gods, how do you keep appearing out of nowhere like that? You really are a creep."

The smile on his face dropped into a frown. "Yeah, well, at least I'm not a liar."

Alba's eyes became large and her face blanched. "Um..."

"Why didn't you tell us that you're a Roman? And that you're the wife of a general?"

"Okay, first of all," Alba stood up and brushed the sand off her dress, "I'm not his wife _yet_. I'm just his fiancé."

Snotlout's face lit up with hope for a brief moment. "Really...?" He cleared his throat and said in a more serious tone, "I mean, really?"

"And second, how could I have known that you wouldn't gut me like a fish after I told you the truth? You Vikings have every right to hate us Romans."

Snotlout nodded. "True, but it's not like _you_ did all those bad things, right? We're not savages, you know. We can be reasonable...mostly."

The rain continued to come down hard upon them, and Alba began to shiver from the cold, hugging herself. He noticed her trembling and reached out to her. "Let's get you out of the rain," he said with a sincere smile.

But she took a couple of steps away from him. "Why?" she softly asked. "So you could take me back to Rome?" She turned back to the sea and sat down on the sand. "I'd rather die than go back."

"Huh?" Snotlout raises an eyebrow. "Okay, now I'm confused. Isn't Rome, like, the greatest place in the world?"

She snorted. "Far from it. It's a hellhole. Everyone pretends to be happy by getting themselves drunk with wine and partying, like, everyday. And the members of the upper class are especially snooty and judgmental."

Snotlout grunted and nodded as he walked over and sat down next to her. "Your Dad the Senator the same way?"

Alba nodded, still looking out into the horizon. "Like every other Roman, he's afraid of people who are...different, like you. If he ever caught me even talking to you, I'm sure he'd have a heart attack. And Cassius would definitely kill you."

"Cassius? Who's that?"

"The guy I'm supposed to marry. He's even worse than my Dad. He's cruel and sadistic and egotistical-"

"And lemme guess, abusive toward you?"

She glanced over at him, and he was looking at her with sympathetic blue eyes. Funny, she never noticed before how beautiful they actually were, their color reminding her of Neptune's majestic sea-

Wait, what?

She quickly snapped out of it and cleared her throat. "Yeah, uh, sorta."

"Sorta?" he looked at her confused. "Either he is or he isn't."

"Okay, fine, yeah, he is."

"Then why are you marrying him?"

She sighed again and brushed her went bands away from her face. "I don't _want_ to marry him, and that's why I tried to run away."

"Oh. That must really suck, being forced to marry some jerk you don't even like."

"Totally."

"But you should seriously stick up for yourself and tell them that you don't want to marry him."

"Believe me, I wish I could, but it's not that simple."

There was no sign of the rain letting up, and so Snotlout took his horned helmet off his head and placed it on Alba's to give her some shelter, even if it was minimal. Alba looked at him surprised, touched by this generous gesture.

"Look, if you don't wanna go back, we won't force you," Snotlout told her gently. "I'm sure we could work something out."

"You...you still want to help me?" Alba quietly asked. "Even after I lied to you?"

Snotlout chuckled and winked at her. "Hey, I never deny a lady any help."

"Wow, I...Snotlout, I-I don't know what to say," she smiled gratefully at him.

"How about 'yes'?"

Alba blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

"Will you go out on a date with me?"

"What?! But-but-!"

"I'm just kiddin'!" he laughed as he stood up. "You need to learn to say 'no'! Sheesh!" He then turned to the woods and whistled loudly. Hookfang leapt out into the open and scurried over to them. Snotlout helped Alba onto his dragon before getting on, himself. They then took off into the grey sky and to the other side of the island.

Most of the oncoming rain hit Snotlout as he was in front, and Alba could see him shivering a bit. Feeling guilty for putting him in this situation in the first place, she wrapped her arms around him to give him some warmth and rested her cheek against his soaking wet fur vest.

The moment he felt her hug him, his heart began to race and he grinned from ear to ear.

 _Yep, she totally digs me._


End file.
